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The Shocking Realism of Dan Witz

Soft-spoken street artist Dan Witz has been hard at work perfecting his craft since the 1970s. He is known for his realistic street art that could easily convince a passer-by into believing that there were actually a person trapped behind a grate in a wall. The realism in his painting process is very convincing and is a key component that adds to the overall shock value of his work. Witz is hoping that those that come across the work will react strongly to it and in turn question the scenario that he is presenting. He talks a bit about describing his realism technique in an interview with Benke Carlson, “As a painter I’ve always been a realist: I’m a student of old master techniques of simulating reality. For my street pieces I combine that craft with visual sampling and digital imaging techniques. Usually I’ll paint over a photo-shopped image, using my representational skills to make it look more realistic, more three dimensional.” Dan Witz interview from Street Art Cookbook.